Kendall County Times

Former Republican Party Congressional candidate James Marter rejoices at the thought of longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan’s reign in Springfield finally coming to an end.

“He’s like the kingpin of a criminal enterprise,” Marter told the Kendall County Times. “I join all the state officers now calling for his immediate resignation. I want to see this investigation continue, but let’s end the Madigan corruption now and bring him to justice.”

Madigan, who easily reigns as the longest-tenured lawmaker in the state, now finds himself at the center of a still-evolving probe into ComEd, in which prosecutors are on record in asserting that the company engaged in a “years-long bribery scheme” involving jobs, contracts and payments that were steered to him in his role as house speaker and chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party.

While stopping short of formally levying any charges, prosecutors contend Commonwealth Edison attempted to “influence and reward” Madigan by providing financial benefits to those directly tied to him.

“I’m not surprised,” Marter added. “Over the years, there’s been a lot of things made public involving the speaker. All this corruption runs deep, and I think all the Madigan campaign money tied to state lawmakers should be frozen as this all plays out.”

In publicly announcing the case against ComEd public, U.S. Attorney John Lausch noted the investigation is ongoing. The Chicago Tribune reports federal investigators have moved to subpoena Madigan for information, including “possible job recommendations.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Madigan said he plans to cooperate with the probe, adding “The speaker has never helped someone find a job with the expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by their employer, nor did he ever expect to provide anything to a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person he recommended.”

Several media outlets have reported the subpoena also seeks records related to Madigan’s political organization and law firm, as well as a former state lawmaker and current or former Chicago aldermen.

The alleged scheme is believed to go back to 2011, with many of the unanswered questions revolving around longtime Madigan confidante Michael McClain. Federal agents raided McClain’s Quincy home last year and the Tribune has reported at one point authorities secretly taped his phone calls.

“Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of all the corruption in Illinois,” Marter added. “Hopefully, this will wake up voters and help them make up their minds about the need for the state to be heading in a different direction.”